1. Field of the Invention
The apparatus of the present invention relates to cooking apparatuses. More particularly, the apparatus of the present invention relates to an improved apparatus for simultaneously internally baking and/or smoking and externally cooking food through use of a single source of heat.
2. General Background
In the art of cooking, baking, smoking or other means of preparation of cooked foods, apparatuses have been utilized which would either cook the food through internal means by baking in an oven chamber or smoke chamber or cooking or frying food externally over an open flame or grill. Also, in the preparation of cooked meats, the most popular form of preparation of meats through external cooking is through the use of barbeque outdoors, utlizing charcoal or the like emanating direct heat onto the meat that has been placed on a grill in close proximity thereto.
Another popular means of cooking a large portion of meat, such as the carcass of a steer or pig, is through the use of a spit or the like wherein the carcass is rotated from time to time over an area of flaming coals and the meat is cooked over a long period of time. This particular method of preparing large portions of meat such as that has been less than successful in many cases due to the fact that in order to cook the meat on the inside of the carcass, the heat must be of such a nature that the external meat is overcooked, and often burned. In order to prevent this, the meat must be turned continuously over an extremely long period of time so that the meat cooks evenly on the outside and inside, the long period of time enabling the heat to penetrate the outer layers of meat in order to properly cook the internal layers. This apparatus may also be used as an ice chest becuse it is insulated and water-tight.
Several patents have been obtained by other inventors which address the use of various types of cooking apparatuses in the preparation of cooked foods, the most pertinent as found in the art being as follows:
U.S. Pat. No. 4,130,052 issued to Jacobson entitled "Combination Smoker-Cooker for Food" discloses an apparatus for smoking foods wherein the apparatus is essentially air tight with block or chips to be utilized as a source of smoke and electric heating means for increasing the temperature. This particular apparatus does not teach the use of an external heating source such as coals, for radiating heat downward into the chamber, nor does it teach the ability to grill the meat external to the chamber while the cooking is going on within the chamber, nor the positioning of wood chips abutting against the upper surface of the coals for smoking the meat as it is being "baked" within.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,233,890 issued to Jansen entitled "Outdoor Bar-B-Q Smoker and Grill" shows the use of a combination barbeque and smoker grill simply having multiple cooking racks which are movable from different positions within the cooker so that the food may be grilled on the racks directly above the coals or the like or in a position not above the coals or the like.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,175,485 issued to Wojahn entitled "Quick Smoker" discloses a portable food smoker which is utilized with any type of grill wherein the meat would be cooked. The particular feature of this apparatus is the fact that it will allow smoking of the meat, and any moisture which collects in the apparatus would be allowed to drain off of the top of the apparatus into a moisture retaining channel rather than dropping on the meat during the cooking.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,933,144 issued to Bandy entitled "Barbeque Grill Construction" discloses an apparatus which is primarily unique in the fact that it would allow the starting up of coals without the use of the fluid starter or any other external method. In effect, the apparatus would have its own source of start-up and a novel fuel igniter.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,817,166 issued to McLain entitled "Cooking and Smoking Oven Device" discloses an apparatus which, again provides an electrically heating, cooking and smoking oven for cooking and smoking meats having a removable grease or dip pan which would prevent grease from dripping in the wood material utilized for smoking. Both structurally and functionally, this particular apparatus would be quite unlike the present apparatus.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,081,692 issued to Sorensen entitled "Smoking Kiln" provides an apparatus which is utilized for the preparation of foods by the use of hot smoke. In effect, the apparatus would be curing and smoking meats and the like and, unlike the present apparatus, would have again the source of fuel being internal to the apparatus rather than external as the particular apparatus shows.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,626,559 issued to Rau entitled "Portable Barbeque Oven" would teach the use of an apparatus having an upper grade for supporting the food to be cooked, a lower pan for holding food which is subjected to air movement so that the fuel is properly combusted allowing smoke and heat to move up into the cooking space. There is also included a series of baffles whereby the dripping from the cooking food does not make contact with the fuel.
As seen in the patents as cited in the art, none of the patents disclose the combination as set forth in the preferred embodiment of the apparatus of the present invention, which will be discussed further.